Local leaders look at plastic shopping bag ban

VACAVILLE — Solano County supervisors and mayors heard Thursday about a growing movement to ban plastic, one-use shopping bags and decided to explore the issue.

But they didn’t yet embrace a plastic shopping bag ban and at times smiled or grimaced when they heard details of what’s been done in other communities. Rather, they directed staff to spend 90 days researching what a possible, model law might look like.

The supervisors and mayors met at Solano County Water Agency offices as the Solano County City Coordinating Council. They conduct these periodic meetings to discuss issues of mutual interest.

More than 70 California communities have banned grocery stores and other stores from handing out one-use plastic bags at checkout counters. Many also require stores to charge 5 cents to 25 cents for paper bags. The goal is to encourage shoppers to bring their own, reusable bags.

The state Legislature is considering a similar statewide plastic shopping bag ban.

Proponents of the bans say plastic bags blow easily in the wind. The bags cause litter problems, get into waterways and end up in the ocean, harming sea life.

Suisun City Mayor Pete Sanchez wondered how city managers would enforce a ban.

“It looks like an administrative nightmare to me,” Sanchez said.

Rio Vista Mayor Norman Richardson said he sees people in his city bringing reusable bags to the market.

“I think it’s a movement that’s growing and an ordinance just might help shove it along,” he said.

Fairfield Mayor Harry Price asked that the chambers of commerce be part of the discussion. He talked of not moving too fast, but not taking a decade, either.

Supervisor Linda Seifert said the plastic bag ban issue is reaching a tipping point. Solano County can use the research done in other communities when looking at the issue itself.

Supervisor Erin Hannigan talked of having a plastic bag ban that would be the same in the county and its seven cities, saying consistency is important. Others said that each city might want to adopt a model law to fit its own needs.

Vacaville Mayor Steve Hardy noted the various community plastic ban laws usually require the stores to charge 10 cents or some other amount for paper bags, with the stores keeping the money. He suggested the cities get a portion of that money to pay for monitoring a ban.

“I don’t think the big stores are entitled to the 10 cents and we get nothing,” Hardy said.

The issue is to return at some point to the County City Coordinating Council. Any plastic bag ban would have to be passed by the individual city councils for each city and the Board of Supervisors for rural areas.

Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.

Barry Eberling

Barry Eberling has been a reporter with the Daily Republic since 1987. He covers Solano County government, transportation, growth and the environment. He received his bachelors of art degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

S KMarch 14, 2014 - 6:47 am

Yup, that is what it is mainly about, MONEY. Yes there is also the litter aspect of it, but mainly money. The store we shop at is fairly responsible about it and so are we, bringing the previous bags back to their recycling container. Winco does that also. I am not sure about anyone else, but maybe that is a start, just require the recycling of them. Many people also use those bags. When we see my Wife's older sister, we give the bunch to her. She likes to use them for cat litter waste. If you also watch the way the checkers bag our groceries (Yes they do that at the Grocery Outlet, even with THE LOWEST PRICES ANYWHERE>>IMO), they do it with speed. Re-usable bags would greatly slow them down. We tried bring a bunch once and it did.

PornacMarch 14, 2014 - 7:37 am

Mayor SanchezMarch 14, 2014 - 9:24 am

Google the ordinances already in place in LA, SF, San Jose, Oakland , Alameda and Contra Costa to get more info on this ban on single use uncompostable plastic bags. Some have exemptions for restaurants etc.
The goals are commendable. Fun starts when the details are debated. One is about a charge for paper bag for take out food orders. But there is no charge for paper bag provided for left over food . I quipped," So, I order chicken sandwich 'for here' then take one bite inside Jack in The Box , then ask for paper bag for my 'left over' and there's no charge"
I look forward to discussions at council public hearings.

The MisterMarch 14, 2014 - 9:52 am

Mayor PP Pete, did you know this piece of trivia; the man responsible for bringing the plastic bag ban to SF, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, later went on to become, and still is, the San Francisco County Sheriff WITHOUT meeting the qualifications that you've said candidates for sheriff in California have to meet. I guess they're just not as smart in SF as they are in Solano County.